Hard Luck Woman SpikeEd love story
by Lost2Paradise
Summary: When both Ed and Spike's past starts catching up to them what will they do? And what business does the Syndicate have with Ed anyway?    I made Ed join Bebop at an older age so she isn't a minor and stuff like that. please forgive if anyone's ooc. i do not own cowboy bebop or any of its characters.  Ed is 19, Spike 29. She joined 2 years ago. Starts just before Black Dog Serenade
1. Technological Close calls

"Edwaaard!" the shout rang through the bebop as Faye stalked out into the common room angrily clad in nothing but a towel, her once purple hair blue. "Hmm? Oh faye-faye! I like your hair." the only other female on the bebop responded grinning innocently.

Ed's P.O.V.

"Hello Mr. Fishy." I said surfing through the web on my one and only Tomato. Jet had asked me earlier to find information on some small bounty head, I had already given him what I found and decided to poke around some files about the people he used to work with. It was mostly just local gangs and some mercenaries here and there but as I climbed the chain of command it got harder and harder to hack. I just grinned in anticipation and got past barrier after barrier. I had just gotten past what seemed like the last one but the information only lit the screen for a split second before I was shut out. The words I had barely processed burning my mind and not for the first time I was thankful tomato couldn't be tracked. If I was sure about anything, it was that I never wanted to be associated with the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate ever again.

"Edwaaard!" I heard Faye scream furiously scaring me out of cyberspace and out of my thoughts. I turned around, goggles around my neck, "Hmm? Oh Faye-Faye! I like your hair!" I had used my best innocent voice as I saw her stalk in wearing just her towel. Her hair was blue now instead of purple, and I actually liked it. "Ed you little she-demon LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY BEAUTIFUL HAIR!" I almost winced and the volume and pitch of her voice, Jet and Spike actually did. "But I didn't do anything Faye-person. Ed was here the entire time." I had grown out of addressing myself in the 3rd person on my 16th birthday but threw it in to annoy her further, letting her know it was me. "You made my hair blue!" she yelled again. I smirked, "No I didn't Faye-Faye. The hair dye wasn't in your shampoo bottle, it was in my unmarked one, It's not my fault you used the wrong thing." Ok so it wasn't exactly in my normal shampoo bottle, it was in one I had gotten that looked slightly like hers and in all fairness I knew she saw the difference but as I thought she had caught a wiff of it and couldn't resist. She looked even more pissed, "Bu-I-you! Ughhh!" she stormed out knowing I was right and it was her own mistake that led to her blue hair.

As soon as I heard her door slam I broke out in laughter as did spike. I laid on my back looking over at the two boys, well, men. Jet didn't look all that amused since she was likely to be more pissy and moody for the next few days but Spike…Spike looked like he could have laughed for days. He was the whole reason I pulled this prank and I was glad he enjoyed it. For the last week or so he'd been sorta upset or maybe even depressed and whenever I'd ask he'd brush it off, brush ME off and it hurt, but now that he was smiling again everything was good in my world. He lit another cigarette, letting it hang from his grinning mouth and glanced over at me. I just grinned back half childishly, half relieved. "Nice one Ed, I always have to wonder where you come up with this stuff, seriously." That was new, Spike usually waited till Jet left the room to congratulate me, not that I minded.

A beep came from Tomato drawing my attention, 'Was that a security beep?' I threw my goggles back on diving head first into cyberspace scared it was the syndicate trying to track me. I opened the window, and the old chess player's face filled the screen. Suddenly I felt ridiculous and paranoid. "Oh. Hi Mr. Chess guy! Faye is in a mood so can I play with you tomorrow instead?" he responded with a slow yes and the screen went black again. "Ed? Hey Ed?" once more I was dragged out of cyberspace as my attention was diverted elsewhere. The goggles were pulled down off my eyes and I saw Spike's face upside down in front of me. "Huh? Spi-person is suddenly spiderman?" I asked jokingly. "Who? Eh Never mind but is there any additional information you have on this Wong Loo guy?"

"Nothing helpful. And Spiderman was a really old comic back on Earth." Sometimes I forgot they didn't know the same type of things I did. They knew more about the ways of the world and how to work this angle or that to get what they wanted. They knew more practical things while I knew how to get almost any information they would need and how to control electronics through hacking. "This guy shouldn't be too hard, do you want to come along for experience?" 'Whoa backup. Did he just ask me if I wanted to go? I've been asking for the past year and I finally have my chance! There's no way I'm going to say no!' "Of course I'll come!" I grabbed Tomato balancing him on my head and headed to the hanger with jet and Spike. It seemed Faye would not be joining us this time.

Jet got in his Hammerhead and took off while Spike and I headed to the Swordfish II. Spike got in first and offered me a hand up. I took it and he hauled me up and into his lap. Only then did I notice that the swordfish only had one seat. The top closed over us as we got settled and Spike reached around me to grab the gears, his head on my shoulder to see. "Hold on tight Ed." he warned, and with that we were off, following Jet to the far side of Mars.


	2. Improvisation

We touched down some time later close to the slums. "Ok The place our bounty head will be is a bar not too far from here, Jet is still in the air as backup incase he runs. I want you to make a scene when we get there to make sure his guards are distracted while I grab Wong. Make sure it's a big distraction but nothing suspicious to alert them, I don't want any guns drawn but mine while you're here." I listened carefully and nodded when he was done, I knew this wasn't the time to fool around but I couldn't help the joking words that slipped out, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were worried Spi-person." He glanced over to me and stomped out his cigarette as we got to the entrance of the bar, "I am." Then we were in, no time for comments. Spike took a seat in a booth 2 behind our guy and I stumbled 'drunkenly' up to the front.

I walked straight up to the bar and climbed up on it before slapping the bartender right across the cheek. "You BASTARD!" I shouted drawing peoples attention even more then the echoing sound of a slap did. "I cant believe you cheated on me with that! That hussy!" From the corner of my eye I saw Wong Loo whisper something to his bodyguard and the hired muscle made his way over. "How could you-" I stole a glance at his ID. "Benny! I thought you loved me! Did all those nights mean nothing to you? Was I just entertainment! Was that it?" Spike quietly dragged Wong out and I ended it quickly. "That's it we're over, don't bother calling me." after that I turned and walked out with my head bowed.

I met Spike back at the ship where he had Wong tied up. "Nice improv. I'd reeealy hate to get on your bad side. With that slap and the pranks you could pull you'd make life hell for anyone on your badlist." I grinned my normal cheery grin and we walked our bounty head to the station. "Ok 200,000 split between the two of us since Jet wasn't needed. Watch out meat here I come!" I knew Spikes money would go fast on food and smokes. I only needed it for the latter so mine will probably last longer, also taking into account the fact that I don't smoke as much as him. Really they didn't know I smoked at all, Jet would kill me. Once back in the safely of the Bebop we crashed into our usual positions. Spike on the yellow couch, Jet taking care of his bonsais, Faye on the stairs moaning about her luck and Ein and I on Tomato.

I was backing up my programs and information so I could terminate the computer in a hurry. A precaution I found necessary now that the Red Dragon was back in my mind. The whole thing was giving me a headache and I decided it was time for a smoke. I faked a yawn and turned off Tomato, "Night Spike-spike! Let's go to bed Ein." I went off in the direction off my room before going to the hangar and pulling out a cigarette and lighter. I know I'm only 19but with the job we have on the Bebop I consider it a necessary evil. I was about half done with the cancer stick and feeling much better than I had before when a voice whispered a 'Boo!' in my ear, I nearly choked in surprise. I turned to see Spike, not even bothering to try to hide the cigarette since I knew he'd already seen.

He sat next to me casually, "Dunhill huh?" he asked not seeming mad or bothered. "Uh, yea. Lucky strikes?" I asked back referring to his. "Yea." we sat in silence for a while just smoking and relaxing. "Those will kill you, you know?" he commented once more. It made me laugh, just a bit. "Your one to talk, plus we'll all die sooner or later why not enjoy life while it lasts? At least I'll be able to but them legally in a few weeks.(pretend smoking age is 20 ok?)" He looked a little surprised at my answer, probably not expecting me to say something like that, but I'm not the old innocent Ed not by a long shot. Sure I still acted childishly but that was just for fun mostly. I guess it's time to show them that.

"Well, I'm going to bed for real this time. Goodnight Spike..-person." I knew he knew the last part was deliberate and he smirked. "You sure you're not going off drinking this time?" he joked. "Heh nah. I'll invite you next time I do though." I kept my tone semi-serious to keep him guessing if I meant it or not. Satisfied that he was fine with knowing I wasn't a kid anymore I went to my room and crashed.


	3. Bell peppers and Beef

The smell of Jet's 'bell peppers and beef' woke me the next day at noon. I made my way to the kitchen to see Spike and Faye weren't there waiting impatiently for the food like they always were. "Morning Papa-Jet Where are Faye-Faye and Spike-person?" I asked. "Oh Ed good morning. They went off to get another bounty head. This guys worth 500k and they're in a...competiton of sorts to see who can get him first." I just nodded sleepily and sat down on a bar stool. He gave me a plate full of peppers and got his own before sitting down with me and chowing down.

Having already finished backing up Tomato and not having anything to do I laid down on the couch like spike usually does, smelling his scent on the fabric, and fell back asleep. "That guy was so mine!" a feminine voice rang out. "Apparently not since I got him first, and I have the bounty." a male voice taunted. 'Hm Spike and Faye seem to be back.' I noted and rolled on my side trying to fall back asleep. "Yea yea." Faye said and left, or it seemed to me she did. The couch cushion sank down as, I was guessing, Spike sat down at the end. "Spot stealer." he commented with a chuckle. For fun, and knowing I wasn't going to be able to fall back asleep with Spike there, I rolled off the couch lifelessly then wormed my way over to Tomato. I heard Spike laugh then lay down. With one last yawn I sat up and launched myself into cyberspace to play the old chess master.

Hours passed as I immersed myself in the game so as not to lose. Finally somewhere near 6pm he beat me. "Aww you win again chess-person! Lets play again soon though I bet I'll beat you next time!" he chuckled and disconnected so I followed suit, finally noticing it was very quiet. I got up wandering to the coffee table which had a note on it.

Hey,

Went out for another bounty and some supplies be

Back around 8.

-Jet, Spike, Faye

Shrugging in boredom I laid back down on the couch and lit up another one of my beloved Dunhill's. I realized then how very like Spike I was being and had to shake my head at the thought. 'Yupp I woke up, ate, did some work then sat back and had a smoke on the couch. I guess they weren't kidding when they said you tend to emulate those close to you, or was it those you admire? Oh well either works I guess.' "Hmm. You know I'm surprised you haven't been caught till last night. How long have you smoked?" Spike's voice startled me and I sat up to put out my cigarette, assuming the others were home as well. Spike apparently saw this, "Don't worry, I came back early cause I was bored, the others will be a while yet." he reassured. "Ok thanks. I've been smoking since I was 17 I think." I replied and sat up making room for him.

He shook his head, "Wow I guess we really are that oblivious. 2 years and you never got caught, nice." It was silent again for a while after that, Spike wasn't really the talkative type and I supposed I wasn't much of one either anymore. "Did you get the guy?" I inquired, "Yea he was an easy catch. He was only 100k though. I can't wait for a bigger bounty." This got me thinking, "You know I might me able to help with that." I finished my cig and dragged Tomato over. "Ok so a bounty for at least one mil near Mars." I mumbled to myself diving into the ever expanding cyberspace. It took only 10 minutes to get a hit. "Ta Da! Wesley Higgs, drug dealer, wanted for distribution of illegal substances, rape, murder…" I read more on him, searching for any connections to the syndicate, there were none.

"Ok this guy shouldn't be too hard to get. He'll probably have about ten guards with him where ever he is. Hes got a snake tat running up his arm and a star on his neck. Here's a picture." I tilted my Tomato more towards him showing him the man who looked like every other dealer out there. "So you want to go after him?" I asked wondering how quick he'd bring in the million. "Hell yea. There's no way I'm passing this up." he turned his head away from the computer and towards me. Suddenly I realized how close we really were, his shoulder was brushing mine and out faces could only be a half a foot apart. I had to say that's the closest we've been since he'd taken me to get Wong and with the blush fighting it's way onto my cheeks I began to wonder If there was a reason for that.


	4. Offers in Casinos

"Hey Spike, Ed, we're back!" Jet called carrying in a few grocery bags. "So that's what Jet-person meant by supplies." I commented with another grin. "Yea. Hey Ed you want to help me make dinner?" he asked. I blinked in surprised, "Sure." I followed him into the kitchen where we put everything away except for the hamburger meat, tomatoes, lettuce, and buns. I got out a cutting board and began cutting the vegetables while Jet started cooking the Ground meat. When I was done I put it each thing on its own plate and got out 4 dinner plates. Thinking about it I grabbed the potato chips down too and left Jet to his cooking.

"It should be ready soon guys." I announced once I was back in the common room. Faye looked at me weird. "what?" I asked her wondering if there was something on my face. "You acting so….normal and calm." she responded quite confused. I laughed, "Yea Faye, a fairy came and bit me on the ass last night. Now I'm magically a nearly full grown woman. Scary." I told her sarcastically. She looked mildly annoyed now, "Well I knew you were getting older but you never really acted it till now." she pointed out. 'True I always just messed around and acted completely childishly. When did that start to change?' "I guess no matter who you are you have to act your age eventually. Not that I will all the time but I'm tired of acting childish for now." This seemed to shock her but she didn't question further since Jet chose then to appear with the food.

We all ate and headed our own ways, Jet to his room, Spike to the training room, and Faye to the casinos. After a while of deliberating I made my way to Jet's room and knocked. "Yea?" he asked, "I'm going out for a while Jet-person. I'll be back later." I got no response so I just shrugged and headed out. I wandered around town stopping at a electronic shop to look around and the convenience store for some more cigs. Somehow I found myself at a casino and decided to go in. I never really was a slots person so I headed for the blackjack table. It was just the dealer and I, she was pretty funny and soon enough we were joking like old pals. "You know Ed, we're looking for a new dealer if you're interested." she offered and pulled out a paper from behind the counter. It was an application form for employment at the casino.

"Hm. I'll think about it and now prepare to lose Claudia." I flipped my cards showing an ace and two fives. She shook her head, "Come on you'd be great! Please! It's really fun." she gave me the worst/best puppy eyes I'd ever seen and couldn't refuse. "Fine, I'll apply but no promises, my friends like to move around a lot so I'm not sure how long I could work here if I even get the job." I told her. She lent across the table and hugged me, "Alright I should get going, I'll see you tomorrow." With that I began walking away, "Ok bye Ed!" It was nearly 11 by the time I got back to the Bebop and I was ready for bed. After one more cigarette of course. I sat in my usual smoking spot, the hangar and just lie there lazily, the wonderful cancer stick dangling precariously from my lips.

This time I heard the door as Spike walked in, "Hey again. So where'd you disappear to?" He sat next to me and pulled out another of his lucky strikes. He flicked the lighter but I only sparked, he repeated this a few times before just leaning over and pressing the tip of his cigarette to mine. The heat rushed to my face again and I was lucky he was so focused on lighting his cigarette or who knows what he'd say. "You know I would've just lent you my lighter." I commented airily. "Yea but it's faster this way, and you never answered my question." Nearly forgetting what his earlier question was I giggled, "Just out, eventually I wound up at the casino and was begged to apply." He raised an eyebrow in interest, "By who?" He laid down next to me, not too close but not that far away. "Claudia. She works at the blackjack table I was playing at."

It occurred to me Spike and I never really talked like this up until recently, he never asked questions when ever I disappeared either. "Hey Spike?" I asked out of nowhere, "Why'd you choose Jeet Kune Do?" I could see him turn his head towards me in the corner of my eye. "I guess, cause It's all instinct, it feels so much more natural than any other form of fighting I've ever tried. Why do you ask?" I thought on whether to tell him or not, finally I decided on most of the truth. Leaving something out doesn't count as lying. "I wanted to learn how to fight. Nothing special, just enough to defend myself if the situation calls for it." He seemed to be thinking about something, "Hmm, if you just want to learn some basic self-defense I could probably teach you." he offered.

I sat up quickly in shock, "Seriously? You'd teach me?" I asked with stars in my eyes. "Yea but I'm not the most patient person so I doubt I'll be a very good teacher." he commented lightly. "Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!" I leaned down and hugged him tightly for a second and pulled away with my usual grin. "You won't regret it Sensei!" I promised, knowing full well he'd know that sensei means teacher. "I better not, now get some sleep, we start early tomorrow." he ordered. I hopped up and offered him a hand, which he took. We walked to the common room and parted ways, "Night Spike!" He just waved and kept walking. As my head hit the pillow I fell into a light sleep.


	5. Training

"_**Edward! The Van want to see you, do not keep them waiting!" Lin informed me with a glare as I surfed the cyber web on one of the syndicates computers. They had recruited me 2 years ago for information and to cover their tracks and the like. Despite my young age I was the best hacker they had. "OOOHH! What do the Vannys want?" I asked and hopped up, running around him. He backhanded me, "They are the VAN treat them with respect. It doesn't matter what they want you will go no matter what and do NOT disgrace us by acting up in their presence!" I walked with my head down the whole way there, silently. **_

_**The dream skipped through most of the meeting with the van until the end. "But I don't want to hurt anyone! When you recruited me you said-" "Silence!" Shin roared backhanding me once more and bowing to the Van. "I apologize for her disobedience I will get her on it right away." with that he dragged me out with the Van's approval. He lead me to a dark room, "I told you to keep quiet girl! You disobeyed my order and now you'll be punished!" He began beating and whipping me till I couldn't stand anymore. "that will teach you, you insolent brat. Now do what the Van have ordered!" **_

I woke with a start and swore I could still feel the sting of the whip on my back. I glanced at my clock over the piles of electronics in my room, **5:00 **it read cruelly. 'Well Spike did say to get up early.' I got dressed and went out to the common room for a desperately needed smoke. To my surprise Spike was there already awake and sitting there in nothing but sweats, his usual workout outfit. He gave me a questioning look, "Couldn't sleep." I answered the unasked question, he seemed to accept it well enough not to press. We sat there nearly 20 minutes just smoking before he decided we should start training. He lead me to his normal training room and told me to take what I thought would be a good fighting stance.

I stood with my legs spread about 2 feet apart and bent my legs a bit, raising my arms into fists in front of me. "Pretty good but don't bent you knees so much and raise you fists a bit higher." I did just as he said and found the position much more natural feeling. He stood directly in front of me about 2 and a half feet away. "Now give me your best right handed punch." I hesitated, I knew I couldn't _actually _hit him, but still. I nodded after a moment and drew my fist back quickly before launching it forward . It felt weak even to me when it made impact with him palm. "Come on Ed I know you can do a hell of a lot better than that. You don't stand perfectly in place when you punch someone, put you body behind it." I pulled my fist back and swung at him again, moving my top half forward and shifting my stance as I did. It felt much more powerful.

"That's what I'm talking about, now with your left." I repeated it with my left though it was less powerful, something he told me I'd have to work on. He also taught me another punch where I started with my hand in a fist, knuckles down by my side and extended to where it was palm down when my arm was straight(karate type punch). With that he sent me to a punching back to do each 30 times with each hand while he did his own training. I only had 5 normal right handed punches left and Spike was also finishing up when Jet popped his head in and announced that breakfast was ready. He saw me at the punching bag and blinked in confusion. "Ed what are you doing here?" he asked. Dutifully I finished my punches, getting a nod of approval from Spike before telling him.

"Ok well, like I said, breakfast." with that he withdrew his head and the sound of his footsteps echoed through the hall. "So how did I do?" I asked wanting to know if he was willing to keep training me. "Good enough to get another lesson." he replied and slung a towel around his shoulders before walking out, me close behind. I went to my room to change into non-sweaty clothes, nothing special just some old faded jeans and a cute summer blouse I had gotten from Faye last year. My stomach decided for me that a shower could wait till after breakfast. I exited my room just to barely avoid Faye running me over in the hall. "Geez I didn't know I had to look both ways before crossing into the _**HALL Faye. Where are you off to in such a hurry?" all I got was a glance from the drooling girl and a muttered, 'food' then she was gone. I just shook my head, and continued on to the kitchen at a much more normal morning pace then my fellow female shipmate.**_


	6. Annoyances

By the time I got to the kitchen area Jet, Spike, and Faye were already well into their meals. I took a seat and began picking at it, eating somewhat slowly. Ein was sitting leaning against my leg and I threw him a few pieces. It was only me and Jet by the time I was done though the only reason he was there was that he was doing dishes. "So, tell me more about why you were training with Spike this morning. Why do you need to learn how to fight?" He handed me a wet dish and a dry towel. A not so subtle hint that this wasn't just going to be a brief conversation. "I dunno." I shrugged and took the offered things. "I figured I should at least be able to defend myself if I'm going to be tagging along for bounties." He glanced at me as he passed over another wet plate. "Why now though? You wont be with someone on a bounty that is too dangerous that we can't protect you for a while."

This was the first time in a while that Jet was beginning to annoy me. I sighed taking the last dish from him. "Well yea but anything can happen even with the easiest bounties. Plus even being outside my yourself is dangerous these days." I turned to leave but he stuck his arm out blocking the door. "Do you really have that much of a problem with me protecting myself Jet?" I wanted to scream it at him but kept my control. He seemed shocked, "No. I just.." he sighed and lowered his arm back to his side. I walked out barely catching him say "Fighting isn't all that glamorous. I just hope she knows what she's getting herself into."

I tried to hide my agitation as I walked through the common room past Spike and Faye but it wasn't working too well. As I turned the corner towards the hangar I paused contemplated telling them I was going out but decided it didn't matter either way and kept walking. I went straight out and began jogging to hopefully work off my mood. It wasn't often someone managed to rile me up but I always hated when they did. I hated being angry just as much as I hated being confined in one place for too long. I guess in that way me and Faye were similar.

Once more I found myself outside the casino and sighed before entering, stopping at an application machine and entering one of my false identities information before heading to the blackjack tables to find Claudia.

Spike's POV

After breakfast I went and laid down on the couch as usual, waiting for Ed to finish up so I could talk to her more about the bounty she mentioned last night. 10 or so minutes passed and she finally come out but she didn't seem right. I rose a brow and watched as she nearly stormed out, pausing only briefly in the hall facing the hangar before shaking her head on continuing on. I heard a sigh as Jet exited too, heading to his carefully tended Bonsais. Faye had long disappeared so I got up following Jet. He was just staring at his trimmers as I approached and leant on the door. "What was that all about?" I asked. "It takes a lot.., hell I've never seen Ed angry before so something must have happened."

He looked up at me dismissively, "It was nothing. I just wanted to know why she wanted to learn how to fight all of a sudden." He seemed to be leaving something out. "Well she should know, she's going to be coming to get bounty heads more and eventually I'm sure she'll be brining in her own. It makes sense Jet." He shook his head with a frustrated look, "I know but she's not going to be in any real danger for a while. She's never shown an interest before so why now? It seemed like she was hiding something and old ISSP habits die hard-" I cut him off, "So you interrogated her? Drilled her to try to get the information she was hiding? We all have secrets Jet and judging by her reaction she obviously doesn't want us to know this one."

"I just wanted to know that she's doing it for a solid reason. We both know fighting is…dirty. Dangerous. Not exactly something I can picture Ed doing. So if she is going to get into it.." he trailed off as I nodded my understanding. "I get it but think about if you were in her shoes. You'd probably be annoyed that someone was trying to keep you from doing something you feel you needed to do right?" His reaction was answer enough for me. I straightened up and lit up, going back to the couch to see when she'd show back up.


	7. Girl to Woman

Ed's POV

All in all I didn't do bad with blackjack, gaining about 100 woolongs by noon. After a very hug filled goodbye from Claudia I headed back to the Bebop to see if anything interesting had happened in my absence. Everyone was just lazing about as per usual when I arrived. Jet was cooking something in the kitchen, Faye was presumably at a casino somewhere and Spike. Spike was asleep on the couch, some sort of Bigshot (that bounty hunting show) magazine covering the top half of his face. I giggled and plopped down in front of Tomato seeing 2 message alerts. I opened the first one to see it was from someone I knew on Earth. I sent a short reply and went to the next one. It was just an alert saying that someone had used one of my names. I shrugged figuring it was from the application I'd submitted and began surfing through cyberspace.

A while later there was shuffling and a groan from the couch. 'Sounds like Spike's awake.' I tugged off my goggles and shut down Tomato. Ein was behind me and I laid back using him as a pillow. He let out whine equivalent to a sigh and went back to sleep. I stared at the ceiling and saw Spike sit up from the corner of my eye. I glanced at him to see that he was looking directly at me. He lit up a cig as Jet came out with a bowl of noodles. He didn't bother saying anything just left towards the rooms.

When I was sure he wasn't coming back for a while I lit up my own smoke and looked back at Spike who was still just sitting on the couch looking bored. I got up and sat next him. "Faye at the casinos?" I asked uninterested, he nodded. I sighed and leaned back resting my head on the back of the couch and closed my eyes. Spike seemed to do much the same, crossing his feet on the coffee table. I put my cigarette out after nearly smoking the filter and groaned. Spike chuckled, "That bored eh?" I turned my head to look at him, "Yea. I don't think I'll ever get used to these lazy days. There's almost nothing to do." I yawned and stretched, getting a bit more comfortable and warm. "There's always cyberspace and sleep." he pointed out. I nodded thinking about how good the second one sounded at the moment.

"But it gets boring sometimes and the less I go on the less chance I have of being caught. Not that Tomato can be traced easily but there's always a slim chance." There was a slight pause, "But who would be skilled enough to hack your computer?" 'The syndicate', just the thought made my eyes pop open and sleep seem less appealing. He seemed to notice my response and raised a brow, "There's always someone. The chess man for one, and the teen boy who was in a coma." I listed hoping he'd drop it. By the look he gave me it was obvious he knew there was something else but he didn't press it. Jus another reason he was my favorite shipmate.

It was silent from then on and slowly I fell asleep to nothing but the slight sounds of Spike smoking. Somewhere near 7 a door slammed making me bolt upright automatically wide awake. I first noticed my surroundings, I was still on the couch and Spike was too, closer than when I fell asleep and flipping through a magazine. Faye then stormed in, making it obvious that she was the source of the slamming, not that I doubted it.

"Ugh! Stupid Ponies!" she grumbled stalking over and sitting cross-legged on the coffee table in front of us. Spike didn't even look up and I tilted my head to the side wondering what she came over here for. "Maybe I should try the dogs.." she trailed off looking like she was in deep thought. "Well whatever you do it'll have to wait. We have a bounty" Jet announced striding over with a cell in hand. "How much?" Faye asked leaning forward her low top seeming even lower than usual. "3 million woolongs." he replied smugly like we had already gotten him. She cried out happily and I noticed the tie keeping her top together slipping. My eyes widened and I launched myself at her hugging her tight.

She seemed taken aback, "The knot in your shirt started slipping." I whispered lowly so only she could hear. "Shit." she looked down to see it untied and slipped her hands under my arms fixing it. When she was done I stepped back seeing the guys give us confused looks. Faye laughed nervously, "So, uh, when do we go after this new bounty?" that seemed to distract them. "As soon as Ed can get some more info on this guy." Everyone turned to me and I went over grabbing Tomato and brining it to the couch. "What's his name?" I asked.

"Len Novoa. Wanted for drug trafficking and the like." I nodded and got to work. "Um… Here we go! Not a lot of data on him...says he hangs out in a club called the Crypt." I told them. I searched for an address and relayed it to the three of them. They seemed excited; they'd be going after someone who wasn't a small fry for the first time in months. I smiled but didn't ask to go. I knew they would just see me as being in the way for this one.

They formulated possible plans as I sat there absentmindedly playing with Ein. "Why not just surprise him in the club, get close then put a gun in his side. His guards wouldn't shoot if you had him trapped like that." I proposed. "It would probably be easiest for Faye to do it." I added reading more about him, finding a slight catch. I laughed, "You might want to wear something less revealing though, it says he likes innocent looking women. So maybe less seductive, more…giggly." I looked up to see her staring at me with a grin I really didn't like the look of. "Well if he likes innocent Ed, I think you'd be much better suited. This seems like the perfect first trial bounty for you."

Jet looked dubious but Spike seemed to be thinking about it. Finally he nodded, "I think that's actually a great idea." And so Jet was out voted and I found myself in my room shuffling through my closet for something innocent yet something that wouldn't raise questions about me being 21 or not. I decided on a blue dress that came mid-thigh and billowed out at the waist so I could easily hide a gun on a leg holster. I pulled it on and brushed my hair out gathering it into a small bun. Faye put some light make up on me and deemed me good to go, well, after forcing me to wear a pair or wedge heeled shoes.

She led me out to the hangar and slipped a small pistol into my hand. I stared at it a moment before sliding it into the holster on my thigh. We walked to the ships where Jet and Spike were lounging around waiting. "We're ready." Faye called and slipped into her zip craft. Jet was already in his hammerhead and so that left me and Spike. He looked up from snubbing out his cigarette with his shoe and blinked one, twice, three times, before finally motioning me over as he hopped into Swordfish II. He held his hand out just like last time and I climbed in, a bit more carefully then last time.

I settled into his lap and the top closed over us as Spike took hold of the controls. His head was rested comfortably where my shoulder met my neck and his arms were on each side of my waist. "You ready?" he asked with a chuckle. I nodded, "Then here we go!" he exclaimed taking off. He sounded excited again, and this time so was I. This was my time to prove myself, as an adult, as a woman, and as a bounty hunter.


	8. Len Novoa

The flight was all too short and soon I was hopping out of the Swordfish, Spike right behind me. Faye and Jet went in first posing as two friends going to celebrate a birthday which left Spike and I alone outside. "You sure about this Ed?" he questioned me one last time. This was my last chance to back out, to go to plan B. I shook my head, and the thoughts of quitting, away. "Of course. This is my chance to prove myself." I wasn't sure it was the best thing to say but he reacted favorably. He enfolded me in a hug which surprised me since he wasn't one for physical contact, "You never had to prove yourself silly." and with that he walked away. Leaving me confused, happy and ready to face Len. I waited a minute before entering the club, the bouncer giving me a second look yet letting me through none the less.

I ordered a drink and stayed by a wall, acting like shy and innocent. After a while of nothing happening I began to wander towards the back where Len is known to be most of the time. By the time I got half way I was intercepted by a muscle man in black. One of his guards no doubt, "Hey little miss, my friend wants to meet you." he informed confirming my suspicion. Shyly I accepted, keeping my head down as we walked and letting a cute pout find it's way to my lips. We came to a table where 9 other men in similar dress to the one that escorted me stood, and one man, Len, sat. He beckoned to me with a single finger and slowly I sat down, sliding over to be closer to him.

"H-Hi. I'm Lacy." I introduced myself. He smiled widely, "Well hello there Lacy, my name is Len. So what's a sweet little thing like you doing in a place like this? Celebrating passing some college exam?" he asked slickly. I shook my head a little still looking down. "Oh then what is it?" he lifted my chin so I was facing him now. "Well I was lonely tonight is all…" I trailed off knowing he'd take the initiative. "Well then would you like to accompany me somewhere a bit cozier?" he invited. I took this chance to slip the gun from my thigh holster and press it to his side. "Sure but only for a while, after all I don't plan on going to jail with you. Don't do anything stupid like alerting your guards or I'll shoot got it? Now 'escort' me out, alone." I whispered. He glanced nervously down to the gun and nodded sliding out of the booth and taking me towards the back exit.

I kept the gun pressed discreetly to his side the whole time, not bothering to signal Spike, Faye, or Jet since I knew they'd been watching me the entire time. I waited outside the back door, which had opened up to an alleyway, for the others. Soon enough they came out and Jet took Len from me handcuffing him and leading him towards where the ships were parked. "Good job Ed, and I'm sorry for earlier." he apologized. I sighed knowing there was no reason to keep a grudge, "Its ok Jet. I know you were just looking out for me. Its half the reason I call you papa-jet, cause you're the father figure." He looked at me oddly for a moment then pushed Len into the hammerhead.

Jet headed to the police station to cast in the bounty while Spike, Faye and I went back to the Bebop. It was silent till about half way there. Shockingly it was Spike who initiated the conversation. He nudged his head into my neck a bit to get my attention. "You handled your first real bounty well. Heh, no surprise there really." he commented. It was another Spike compliment and I began to wonder what I was doing differently lately to be getting so many. Well I mean even two is a lot coming from Spike but still. "Thanks Spike. It was somewhat out of my comfort zone because I think you should use skill and stuff instead of looks and your body to get a bounty but it seemed to work out." He turned his face briefly to look at me and again we were just inches apart, if we were any closer our noses would be touching. "What?" I questioned. He smiled a bit, returning his attention to his surroundings, "Nothing, just thinking its probably a good thing you don't hang out with Faye much is all."

I pondered that for a moment then laughed, "Yea it probably is. If I did I might pick up her gambling curse and affinity to get herself into sticky situations." My smiled drooped a bit thinking of the last one, 'Maybe I already have that one, or had. Hopefully had.' He chucked a bit, the movement sending reverberations through my body where it touched his. By the time we landed in the hangar Ein was sitting by the doorway to the rest of the ship waiting for us. I hopped out holding my dress down so the movement wouldn't expose too much. I waited a moment for Spike and Faye then headed over to the data dog patting his head as a greeting..

Soon enough Jet came back and began divvying up the money onto our cards. I just took enough for 4 packs of cigarettes and some pocket money then split the rest between them. "Ed?" Jet questioned as I gave him a quarter of my share. I just shrugged, " I don't really need to buy much." was all the explanation I gave before heading back to my room to change into some pj bottoms and a tank top. I headed out to the main room to say goodnight to see the only person there was Spike. I shrugged and sat down next to him lighting my cigarette off of his. I could feel his eyes on me the entire time it took to light it, not that it was unexpected since I was invading his personal space.

Once my Dunhill was lit I pulled back and leaned into the couch next to him. "What does no one say goodnight anymore?" I joked referring to the absence of our two other ship mates. He gave a half grin, "Guess not." We smoked in relative silence, only broken here and there by a stray comment or question. When we were both down to our last puffs we stood. "Meet me at 6 in the training room for your next lesson." he ordered right before we split to go our respective rooms. "Alright." I agreed, "See ya then. Night Spike." he waved in response, his other hand covering his mouth in a yawn. That night I fell asleep to pleasant dreams for once.


	9. Warning: Tomatos may cause panic attacks

I woke the next morning at 5:40am and sighed before snuggling into the pile of blankets and pillows I was burrowed into. 'Another lazy day no doubt' I thought to myself and tried to go back to sleep. My eyes popped open as soon as I had processed my own thought which, surprisingly, took a minute. I took another look at the clock, 5:45. I had another lesson from Spike at 6, I needed to get up.

Taking a moment to stretch first I got up and went about getting dressed. I threw on a tank and some sweats and headed to the bathroom. There I brushed my hair and teeth, splashing some water on my face to get me up completely. With one last glance in the mirror, I was ready, so I set off to Spike's training room. I didn't expect him to be there yet, but again he surprised me. He was, if all the sweat and light panting were anything to go by, fairly far into his training already. I stood in the doorway for a moment contemplating this before going through. 'Maybe he woke up early again and decided to get some extra training in?' I pondered before dismissing it. It was time to start my second day of training. First I did some stretches so I wouldn't pull anything, then started out with 30 of the punches(with each arm)Spike had taught me before turning to wait for him to finish whatever exercise he was doing. He did so quickly and finally came over to me with a nod.

"Today we'll work on a fairly easy kick. It should come to the ribs of your opponent." he said and turned, demonstrating it. I tried to memorize what he had done but realized just once wasn't enough to remember. "You start out in the position I showed you yesterday, fists up. Then rotate your top half, turning to the opposite side of the foot you're kicking with, and down a bit." he described. Once more he demonstrated it, much slower this time. Then again a bit faster. Finally I got a good idea of what I was doing. "Now I want you to try." he said standing again, about 2 and a half feet from me. 'He wants me to kick him now? No way!' I thought shocked, though as soon as I saw the look on his face I knew he was serious. I also remembered just who he was. Spike Spiegel: Famous bounty hunter and a man who can not be hurt by a girl half his size, no matter what they do.

After the brief pause it took to contemplate these things I nodded and kicked out as hard as I could with my right leg. I heard the impact and turned quickly to see that my shin had made contact with his forearm, which had blocked me from hitting his ribs. I almost smiled at the small success. I lowered my leg and he let his arm drop to his side. "The power behind it was good but you have to keep your eyes on me. Never look away from an opponent." he told me seriously. How could I have forgotten that? That was even basic for people who had never even been in a fight! I nodded sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head. He chuckled a bit then told me to do the kick with my left, I didn't look away this time. I kept my eyes on him the entire time. He then instructed me to do 20 kicks with each leg on the punching bag, as well as 10 more of the punches. As soon as I was at it, he resumed his training once more. I had actually finished my assigned work this time before Jet popped in. "Spike, Ed, breakfast." he said and pulled back, likely to go find Faye. I smiled and followed Spike out, not bothering to change this time. It could wait till after breakfast, as could my shower.

I wanted to just gobble down my food I was so hungry but even as a kid(aside from when I was at the orphanage) I had _some _manners. So I ate normally, if not just a bit faster than usual. Spike and Faye on the other hand…I'll just leave it to your imagination. When I finished I put my plate in the sink and took a much needed shower. Once the necessities were taken care of I headed over to Tomato. Even though it had been less than 12 hours, it felt like weeks since I had been on it. The number of messages I had also seemed like weeks had passed. That wasn't good. Good mood fading I threw my goggles on and launched into cyber-space, and into Tomato. There were several alerts floating around; someone had used my name, some one tried to patch through to Tomato, and someone had tried to _break IN to Tomato. 'Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! This can't be happening. Is it the syndicate? A new hacker? WHO? Please cyber-gods, don't let it have been the syndicate!' I thought frantically._

_My breathing growing shallower and faster slightly. Then I was aware of a presence. I stilled completely, not even breathing. My body began entering fight or flight mode due to my panicking and the disorientation of being in cyber-space. 'No!' I planted myself firmly, mentally that is, and took as close to a normal breath as I could. If someone had tried to break into Tomato, it didn't necessarily mean that it was a hacker. It could have been someone on the ship, trying to use it. As soon as I was calmed I took my goggles off slowly and turned to see Spike on the couch staring at me. _

_A jolt went through me but I ignored it and tried to muster a strong voice. "Spike, did you try logging on to Tomato?" I asked, voice only wavering slightly. He seemed confused, "No, I wouldn't even be able to navigate that thing if I tried. Computer's are your thing…Why?" he answered. I shook my head and stood, going to Jet's 'Bonsai room.' I saw him peacefully cutting small branches off of the trees. "Hey Jet?" I got his attention. "Have you tried getting on Tomato lately?" I was thankful to note that my voice held no tremble this time. He pulled back from his mini-tree. "No, can't say that I have Ed, why?" his answer was to Spike's and just as truthful. "No reason, just wondering. Tomato was moved a bit when I got on this morning is all." I lied and walked away, looking for Faye. _

_I went to her room but got no response. Instead of checking the who ship, I went to the hangar to check if she was even here. Her zip-craft was gone and the stone in my stomach seemed to grow heavier. Who knows when she would be back. Maybe soon, or tomorrow, or never. Now how would I know if she'd been the one to try getting in or not? I sank to the floor ungracefully and not really caring if Jet came by or not, lit a cigarette. It wasn't small puffs like usual, but deep drags almost like what Spike is sometimes prone to doing in a fight. After about my fifth cigarette my eyes began to droop, tired from the physical and mental strain the day had already but on me. And it wasn't even noon! I surrendered more quickly than I though and soon I was out. _


	10. ByeBye Tomato

_A/N: Short chapter I know, but I just needed something to get me started on this story again. More to come soon._

I woke some time later to the sound of the hangar door opening. I sat up quickly, slightly disoriented, and tucked away my cigarettes. Faye's zip craft floated down, landing smoothly and opened revealing Faye. It took me a moment to remember why I was here in the first place. It came to mind with shocking clarity.

"Faye, did you try to get on Tomato this morning, or maybe yesterday?" I asked, trying to keep the urgency from my voice. She looked at me oddly for a moment, head tilting, and I wondered if I had failed in my attempts.

"No, why?" she asked, sounding honestly surprised. I didn't bother giving her an answer, instead jumping up and heading to the common room at a trot.

'It's ok Ed, it's fine. Maybe it was just the ISSP or something. You saw that they hadn't gotten in, and a day isn't long enough to hack into tomato. _Unless they're packing some seriously good equipment, and hackers_.' I ignored the pessimistic side of me, as well as my surroundings as I sat down, pulling on my goggles once again. The unchecked messages still floated around on the screen. I checked one. The name used was the one I had given for the casino Claudia wanted me to work at. I relaxed just a bit, it could explain the first two alerts but the third…I checked it, seeing the hack came from near by. I worked furiously to isolate the source and was soon rewarded. It had been the casino.

'But why would a casino hack into a prospective employee's computer, unless they have some sort of criminal affiliation. Shit!' I nearly whimpered, actually I may have really done it. I'm not sure. If the sounds of Spike getting off the couch and coming over were anything to go by, then I probably did. He crouched down next to me, so close I could feel his heat. It occurred to me then that I was strangely cold, and shaking slightly.

"Ed?" Spike called, trying to get my attention, as well as asking what was going on. I ignored him for a moment, trying to recall anything from my time at the casino that might clue me into what organization it was.

"Suits, black suits. Could be anyone." I muttered, pulling my goggles off. I knew Spike wouldn't wait much longer before doing it himself.

"Black suits? What are you talking about?" he asked. I looked at him for a moment, he was once part of that group. Maybe he knew…

"Hm? Oh it's nothing, someone just tried to hack Tomato. It was the casino I applied to work for. I was just trying to think if there was anything I remembered about the place that could tie it to a certain group. As you know though, black suits could be anyone." I said, dismissing the thought of asking him, or talking or even thinking about the Syndicate. I would hack the casino and find out.

'But first…' I pressed a key, not bothering to even put my goggles back on. A blue screen came up, data flashing past. Then a message. 'All data deleted.' Spike rose a brow.

"Why do that? They didn't manage to hack into it did they?" he wanted to know.

"No, but why give them something to hack? This way they've got nothing to trace." I told him, flipping it over and removing the cover from the bottom, revealing the motherboard and wiring. I then removed the entire board and clipped it into a special dock I had kept on hand since I had applied at the casino. Just incase. It flashed off all the information that may have still been on it and then sent a shock that would short circuit and make the whole thing completely useless. I smiled as I took it out, inspecting it, and just as an extra precaution, I took out the CPU and smashed it. Spike didn't seem to see the significance of any of what I had done. I shrugged.

"Now there's no way for anyone to know what was on this computer." I explained shortly. It was his turn to shrug, then look at me once more before going back over to the couch.

"Everything's ok then?" he asked offhandedly. I gave him the thumbs up and wandered off, going to my room to find another computer. It was time to find out just who this casino was associated with…


	11. I'm Sorry

Within the hour I had another computer set up, practically identical to Tomato. I got to work straight away, trying to find out who the casino was associated with. As expected, it was slightly difficult hacking into their system. A good and bad thing. On one hand, it could be because the gang who owns it inexperienced enough that they don't know it arouses suspicion with the ISSP if a system is hard to hack. On the other hand though, it could mean that they are so confident that they can deal with the ISSP, that they don't even bother to hide it. Either way though, this casino was not on the up and up, something I had known since first walking into the place. Black suits, nervous glances from people going into back rooms, and the well dressed people with guns do not a law-abiding business make. Shaking my head once to clear my head, I got back to business. It turned out that the casino was indeed owned by a local Martian gang. As I dug deeper I found that that gang was owned by a bigger one, and that was owned by another gang as well. Dread worked it's way through my body like an ice injection as I saw that the gang that owned the others, was owned by someone as well.

Up it climbed, and again, the systems got harder and harder to hack. When I reached the seventh in line I came across an encryption web I knew well, and why wouldn't I? After all, I had been the one to make it. They knew. The syndicate knew it was me who had hacked them and now they were messing with me, no doubt aware of me even as I hung on the outskirts of the web, wary of the spider I would find deep within. The spider that I would not know was creeping up on me from behind until it was too late. I was tempted to crash the entire thing, to wreak havoc on their systems until they would be easy picking for the ISSP. But even as I imagined it, I knew it could be nothing but a daydream. They would expect me to do that, and would have made the necessary measures to prevent it. This was doubtless only the first of many webs they had set up, knowing that I would come again sooner or later. Did they know then that I was here? Did they see me at the casino? I nearly smacked my head at my idiocy. They would still have me in their systems. Anything with my picture or information would be sent directly to HQ. I froze.

"How long have we been on Mars?" I asked myself aloud. It had at least been a week, and if we were going after a bounty, I didn't know about it. I shot up without another thought, and ran to the common room. No one was there but I could hear small snips coming from the bonsai room.

'Jet!' I bounded over, nearly overshooting the room and saw jet sitting there, trimming his bonsais.

"Jet! Where are Spike and Faye?" I demanded, nearly shouting in my panic. He was too shocked to answer for a moment, so I repeated the question.

"I don't know. Last I heard Faye was going out shopping and Spike was out of cigar-" I cut him off.

"Call Faye, tell her to come back, she took her zip craft didn't she?" he nodded, picking up his handheld receiver and began to call her. I cursed, thinking fast, no doubt Spike had walked. That meant the Swordfish was still here. I made a quick decision, just as Faye picked up. I grabbed the receiver from Jet.

"Faye, come back now, you're in danger. Jet is going to take off, meet him by Io." I told her, and hung up without waiting for a response. I whipped out a cell phone and dialed Spike's number. After a moment I heard his ring tone from the other room. He had left his phone behind. I turned back to Jet.

"I'm taking the Swordfish and going to find Spike. As soon as I'm clear I want you to take off, and drift near Io. Faye will meet you there." He didn't move. I dragged him up.

"Go!" I pleaded, but he didn't budge.

"Tell me what's going on Ed, what happened? Whose after us?" he demanded to know, the unspoken threat that he wouldn't take off until I explained hung in the air.

"The past has caught up with me. There are people coming after us, maybe even as we speak, who are capable of things you can't even imagine. So are you just going to sit there and ask questions best asked later while they get closer, or will you do what I ask and get us all out of danger" I asked, meeting his gaze squarely.

When I was sure he was going to do as I had said, I grabbed Spike's phone and a gun from my room, and went to the hangar. There was the Swordfish in all it's glory. The keys were in the ignition, as always. It was odd to be the only one in the pilot seat but as soon as the hangar doors opened I discarded all thoughts on the matter and focused on take off. It was a little shaky, the controls in my hands unfamiliar, but I managed not to hit anything. This wasn't my first time piloting a ship but I sure wasn't an expert, that's for sure. The hangar doors closed beneath me and I was off to the nearest bar. Knowing Spike he had bought his cigarettes and plunked down at the best bar he could find with a whiskey on the rocks and cigarette in hand. I landed outside and locked the Swordfish before going inside, searching the room for Spike. No luck. The bartender, after a bit of persuasion told me that he hadn't seen anyone matching Spike's description that day. Feeling that I had wasted valuable time I took off again at a sprint, searching the streets for the green headed man. I searched for what seemed like an eternity before I finally found him. He was in a bar half way across town, smoking and listening to a band play the best jazz I'd heard in a while. It was no wonder he picked that bar. Deciding not to draw any more attention to myself than I already had, I caught my breath quickly, wiped the sweat off my brow, and sat next to him calmly. He glanced at me from the corner of his eye and rose a brow.

"Guess you weren't kidding about drinking." he commented, somewhat amused. I gave a non-committal sound and searched the room discreetly. No one was watching us. I breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, motioning for him to do the same.

"Spike. We have to go now, we're in dan-" Just then all the noise in the bar died and the sound of a door closing echoed through the room. I turned quickly only to see the last person I would have expected. His eyes met mine, turning me into stone as people fled from the bar.

"Vicious." I whispered, not knowing I had said it aloud until a cold grin split his face.

"Edward, you remember me? You always were a smart girl, and obedient, always 'willing' to do whatever I said." he praised mockingly, emphasizing my willingness. This was true of course, I had always obeyed him. He was the one person who had been unfailingly kind to me in the hell that was the Red Dragon Crime Syndicate. This taunt meant nothing to me and I didn't understand why he had made it until I heard Spike shift behind me. It hit me then that it had been a taunt meant for Spike and not myself. Not only did it reveal to him that I had been working for Vicious at one point, but also that I was 'willing' to do 'whatever' he wanted had a double meaning, one that Spike would catch immediately since his hatred for Vicious stemmed from a betrayal over a woman who had been Vicious's lover. The connection snapped me out of my paralyzed state and into one much like the one I had been in when working for the Syndicate.

"You realize that by insinuating that there was something between us when I was only eleven makes you look like a pedophile right?" I mocked back with a slight smirk that I had tried my best to fight off. I was terrified, furious, and…excited. It had been years since I had last seen Vicious and I could tell that he had been through an enormous change, yet he looked as if he hadn't aged a day. It was as though I had just seen him yesterday, yet at the same times it felt like decades had past. I didn't know what to think, how to feel, how to act. I felt like a little kid again, lost and waiting for a guiding hand to steer me in the right direction. He looked surprised by my comeback, so alike to what I would have said all those years ago. Then he laughed, low and dark. Just as I remembered.

"You really haven't changed at all, have you Ed?" He asked rhetorically. I snorted

"Like you're one to talk Mr. Still 21." My retort was weak I knew but I couldn't help making it. Vicious stepped back sarcastically, as if in shock, and Spike chose that moment to snap out of whatever daze he had been in. He grabbed my arm tightly and shot off to the back door, dragging me, wide eyed, with him. Not caught off guard a bit, Vicious called out after us

"Meet me _there tomorrow Ed, it will be just you and me. You'll be safe until then, and after, I swear it." Then we were outside, racing back towards the Bebop. It wasn't until three streets over that I remembered that it was gone. _

"_Take a right." I told Spike, who did so without questioning me. That he did so hurt worse than anything else I had felt in my entire life, including the years I had spent in the Syndicate. He knew now that I was a part of it once, that I had been close to Vicious and bore the man no personal grudge, and yet he trusted me enough still to lead him safely out of a dangerous situation. Tears streaked down my cheeks, something I hadn't felt in years. We arrived at the Swordfish and I handed him the keys without another word. He jumped in, pulling me up behind him and closing the cockpit quickly before taking off. He flew up and up until we were out of Mars' atmosphere and then cut the engine, and let us drift in space. For a moment all was still, and silent. Then his arms were around me, strong arms, comforting arms. For a long time he just held me there. No words were spoken, no questions were asked. The tears that had stopped falling, started up again as the terrible feeling from before filled me. I turned without thinking, hugging Spike back, and cried. Not silently as before, but really crying. _

"_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I got out through sobs. I couldn't stop crying long enough to explain, but I needed him to know somehow that I was sorry. Sorry for not telling him, sorry for joking with the enemy, sorry for not getting us off Mars fast enough, sorry for not figuring it our before it was too late, sorry for everything. He tightened his hold and shushed me, calming me. My tears slowed, and he began to hum a tune softly, one I recognized from my time in the Syndicate._

'_It was called Julia' I remembered finally as I drifted off to sleep._

'_Julia….' _

_A/N: Thanks for reading everyone! This is just a reminder that I will be doing interviews for the characters, so if you have any questions, just PM me with the question using the story they are from in the subject line._


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